**Official December 2010 Thread!!** - PART 2!

[Vickis3js]

Well we are home. Sad to say, kinda. We had a great 9 days 8 nights. Almost got an extra day too! But NOOOO DH would not listen to me. We live at the Jersey shore and we got to come home to almost 2 ft of snow. We ended up stopping in NC for the night and it took us a few extra hours to get home.

Trip was great except for OKW we will never stay there again. Room was filthy and nothing was ever done about it. Room was huge but thats the only plus for us. Crowds were good believe it or not. We ran into a TON of very rude people. At the parade at MK my DH was sitting on the ground because he is 6'5 and didn't want to block anyones view and this family barrelled their way through about 10 people behind us and literally threw their DD on my DH. They were laying across the family next to us's stroller and balloon. I've never seen anything like that. A ton of line cutting as well. But we never let it ruin anything just kind of shocking.

We are already planning Dec 2011!!!

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

Well we are home. Sad to say, kinda. We had a great 9 days 8 nights. Almost got an extra day too! But NOOOO DH would not listen to me. We live at the Jersey shore and we got to come home to almost 2 ft of snow. We ended up stopping in NC for the night and it took us a few extra hours to get home.

Trip was great except for OKW we will never stay there again. Room was filthy and nothing was ever done about it. Room was huge but thats the only plus for us. Crowds were good believe it or not. We ran into a TON of very rude people. At the parade at MK my DH was sitting on the ground because he is 6'5 and didn't want to block anyones view and this family barrelled their way through about 10 people behind us and literally threw their DD on my DH. They were laying across the family next to us's stroller and balloon. I've never seen anything like that. A ton of line cutting as well. But we never let it ruin anything just kind of shocking.

We are already planning Dec 2011!!!

We had the same problem with rude people, from CM's to bus drivers (I think they were the worst) to the general public as well as a fair share of line jumpers.

Dh lost his cell phone, he thinks on Mission Space. I lost my cell phone charger at the first hotel we were at, but all in all it was a nice trip.

I didn't think it was too crowded, not as crowded as I guess I throught it wold be, in fact I have never seen so few people at Osborne Lights on Christmas night, I think most of them were at Fantasmic. The buses were bad at Epcot on Christmas Eve, we waited more than an hour for a bus and watched at least 8 buses for All Star Music come and go, sometimes only having 2 to 3 people on them.

Suzanne

 

[stephielela]

We had the same problem with rude people, from CM's to bus drivers (I think they were the worst) to the general public as well as a fair share of line jumpers.

Dh lost his cell phone, he thinks on Mission Space. I lost my cell phone charger at the first hotel we were at, but all in all it was a nice trip.

I didn't think it was too crowded, not as crowded as I guess I throught it wold be, in fact I have never seen so few people at Osborne Lights on Christmas night, I think most of them were at Fantasmic. The buses were bad at Epcot on Christmas Eve, we waited more than an hour for a bus and watched at least 8 buses for All Star Music come and go, sometimes only having 2 to 3 people on them.

Suzanne

I noticed a LOT of rudeness this time too! Mostly it was from other guests. I usually just let that stuff roll off, but one night we were headed out of DHS and we were waiting in line for the tram. We were the only people in our line, and somehow whe the tram came people managed to push their way forward so only my dad and son managed to get on. I was MAD. It was the only time I really lost my temer about the rudeness though. I think the holidays stress people out, and they forget they are on vacation and should be enjoying themselves. I didn't notice any of that in the fall during the slower times.

 

[disneybarbie]

Hi everyone!

I've just made a start on my TR..

Visiting the Big Apple and the Big Cheese for the holidays! December 2010

If anyone would like to read along! I'm starting off with our few days in New York City... promise to get to WDW days as soon as I can!

Hope you've all had a great holiday weekend, and that the snow in the North East isn't too bad! England came to a stand still after 4 inches of snow.. I can't imagine how we'd deal with 12-24 inches!!



Luv & pixie dust,


Emma x

 

[Zuzu03]

Hi everyone!!! We're back!!! We had an amazing time and even though a few days were cold, it was sooooo much better than being up here in Vermont! We just got home so I'll post more tomorrow, but for those of you still waiting to go, HAVE A GREAT TIME!!!!!

 

[stephielela]

Here it is!

December PTR

 

[Piscesqueen]

We had the same problem with rude people, from CM's to bus drivers (I think they were the worst) to the general public as well as a fair share of line jumpers.

Dh lost his cell phone, he thinks on Mission Space. I lost my cell phone charger at the first hotel we were at, but all in all it was a nice trip.

I didn't think it was too crowded, not as crowded as I guess I throught it wold be, in fact I have never seen so few people at Osborne Lights on Christmas night, I think most of them were at Fantasmic. The buses were bad at Epcot on Christmas Eve, we waited more than an hour for a bus and watched at least 8 buses for All Star Music come and go, sometimes only having 2 to 3 people on them.

Suzanne

This was our very first visit to WDW and although we had a ton of fun, we were really surprised at the amount of rude people...and I'm talking mostly Cast Members!!!!

I understand being on vacation in a place with so many people that not everyone will be all "Happy happy, joy joy" but seriously, if you hate your job...QUIT!! This one lady working at the bakery on main street literally threw our food onto our tray when we told her which pastries we wanted. She was the absolute worst of them all for the entire trip, she even looked like she hated the world...people like her just need to stay home or appreciate the fact that she even has a job in this economy.

We didn't let any of the negative things get in the way of our good time but it definitely was NOT the most magical place on earth and next time we will be doing Universal and Seaworld instead of WDW. Not saying that we'll never go back but it will take some serious convincing for my family to want to go back. My DS6 even said one day that it was the worst vacation ever .

I have an annual pass and my friend wants to go back and so I'll give it one more shot with an adults only trip before I make my final judgements on disney. I had a blast but its because I'm a positive thinker and make the most out of every situation. My DH hates ppl but I was so happy that even he couldn't help but smile everyday. My DS10 and DD9 and DD16 all loved it but would like to try Universal next. We'll be going back to Orlando soon !! We loved the area!!

 

[Zuzu03]

Wow, I'm surprised by the reports of rude people because we had the exact opposite experience! We were there from the 22nd until the 28th and everyone we ran into from cast members to guests was happy, friendly and helpful. AND it was not nearly as crowded as I had expected. We were there in July and found it to be much worse with all of the tour groups. We made rope drop at Epcot, DHS and MK and rode everything we wanted without waiting, then picked up fast passes. In fact I still have 3 fast passes that we didn't need to use from the mountains at MK that I'm going to put in my scrapbook. EMH morning and evening at MK were dead quiet and we really had fun. It was kind of cold, but being from Vermont we didn't find it too terribly bad. I totally would go again at Christmastime as opposed to July because I can manage lots of small groups of people rather than lots of huge tour groups that take up the entire street!

 

[taramoz]

Wow, I'm surprised by the reports of rude people because we had the exact opposite experience! We were there from the 22nd until the 28th and everyone we ran into from cast members to guests was happy, friendly and helpful. AND it was not nearly as crowded as I had expected. We were there in July and found it to be much worse with all of the tour groups. We made rope drop at Epcot, DHS and MK and rode everything we wanted without waiting, then picked up fast passes. In fact I still have 3 fast passes that we didn't need to use from the mountains at MK that I'm going to put in my scrapbook. EMH morning and evening at MK were dead quiet and we really had fun. It was kind of cold, but being from Vermont we didn't find it too terribly bad. I totally would go again at Christmastime as opposed to July because I can manage lots of small groups of people rather than lots of huge tour groups that take up the entire street!

My experience was also very positive! We were there from Dec 17-23 and had nothing but magic the whole time. Everyone was super friendly, Cast Members helping and being cheerful. Crowds were low pre-lunch, built in the afternoons but we had always collected fastpasses for the afternoons. MVMCP was much less crowded then I was expecting based on what I had been reading (we went to last one, watched parade from main street and crowd was only 2 rows deep). I guess everyone has different expierences, we had a great one too!

 

[exwdwcm]

Wow, I'm surprised by the reports of rude people because we had the exact opposite experience! We were there from the 22nd until the 28th and everyone we ran into from cast members to guests was happy, friendly and helpful. AND it was not nearly as crowded as I had expected. We were there in July and found it to be much worse with all of the tour groups. We made rope drop at Epcot, DHS and MK and rode everything we wanted without waiting, then picked up fast passes. In fact I still have 3 fast passes that we didn't need to use from the mountains at MK that I'm going to put in my scrapbook. EMH morning and evening at MK were dead quiet and we really had fun. It was kind of cold, but being from Vermont we didn't find it too terribly bad. I totally would go again at Christmastime as opposed to July because I can manage lots of small groups of people rather than lots of huge tour groups that take up the entire street!

I agree, we had pretty positive experiences overall. I did have one annoying other guest trying to sort of shove his way next to me and in front of me for MSEP. He didn't speak English, so I couldn't tell him to back off, but my body language made it clear, but he didn't care. In the end, i decided it wasn't worth it to get upset, he's rude, his loss. I just leaned over best I could to take pics. Why let him have that control to ruin my experience?

other than that, one annoying cheerleader on the monorail who's backpack kept hitting my son in the head while she kept turning around, but her mom yelled at her to stop at least. Otherwise, given the crowds in the afternoons/evenings, folks were pretty decent.

our cast member interactions were all great too- and even had one at BLT when we went in the BLT lobby do a special birthday phone call from Mickey for my son for his birthday. Our restaurant servers were all very kind too. I did notice a few of the security guards doing bag check were not in the disney spirit, they were not rude, they were just straight faced, no smile or joking around like many others do. But might just be their personality, (many are former cops etc.)- who knows.

Overall, it was a good experience. I am so SORRY to hear of those that had bad ones- especially you Piscesqueen being your first trip. I hate hearing stories like that where it really tarnishes your first time experience. sure CMs have bad days (I know I did when I was working), but you still put on a happy face best you can. I hope you give it another chance and am so sorry you had run ins with so many bad CMs.

 

[BDL]

I'm sorry to hear that you had such a hard time PiscesQueen. But I also suggest that you give WDW another shot. Maybe, not a fully dedicated one like you just had. But mix it in with Sea World and Universal. Especially if you are going on an all adults trip next time.

Ever since Pleasure Island closed (R.I.P. Pleasure Island (sniff)), the boardwalk at Universal is a great place to just cut loose for adults.

 

[thechesters420]

I also had nothing but great experiences with everyone. Everyone was nice. I only got into an argument with someone at the laundry area at the Contemporary, but that was it. Castmembers were all wondeful.

 

[heatair]

We leave tomorrow.

Going to be a stressful day until we are on the road. I have several work related tasks to do that will take more time than we have.....

I have to ask this question. What are the security guards doing the bag check looking for? Weapons? Booze? Fireworks? If I wanted to get something improper in one of the parks, I sure wouldn't put it in a bag that I KNEW was going to be checked!

Anyway, looking forward to a relaxing trip. I'm on call 24/7 and answer the phone when I have to. I can't think of a better place to be on call at....








.

 

[Disneywedding2010]

The longest wait we had for a bus was at DTD the night we arrived (12/23). It was only 20 minutes and we figured it was because we had just missed a bus for OKW. We were at DHS on Christmas eve from 11am - 930pm and we did everything we wanted to do including the 8pm Fantasmic. We orginally hadn't even planned to do it but we had done everything else we wanted to do so we went over and got in the wheelchair line. I didn't have any rude encounters with CMs. However, guests on the other hand were a completely different story.

 

[TruBlu]

I'm surprised that people ran into grumpy CM's. Everyone we encountered was AMAZING. The CM at the front desk at Jambo House even had a tray of cookies, zebra domes and cold milk waiting for us in the room one night as a treat. She felt bad that DH had been sick the day before.

 

[ThereYouSeeHer]

Piscesqueen, sorry to hear your first trip wasn't that magical!

We personally didn't experience any rude guests or CMs. In fact, we struck up many pleasant conversations with guests or CMs we were standing in line with. It made for a lot of fun to find out where people were from, and we found something in common with almost everyone we spoke to.

As for Universal, we tried it for the first time last year and I couldn't wait to leave! I'm not a roller coaster person, so there was virtually nothing for me nor my young girls to ride. The main reason I wanted to go was to see the "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade." But, as it turns out, it was nothing like the parade! Everything from the floats to the costumes and dance were extremely dismal and really second class. Nothing beats Disney choreography and the wow factor of Disney parades!

Having at least appeased my husband to try Universal, it was clear that it didn't even compare to Disney and we have no intention to go back. I know alot of people like Universal for alot of reasons, but I guess I just didn't "get it." Once my children are old enough to ride roller coasters, we may try it again, but until then, it's all Disney!

 

[Vickis3js]

We never encountered any rude CMS. Some that were just not knowlegeable. A few times my DH laughed that I knew more then people who worked there. We ran into some awesome people as well just the ones that were rude were RUDE!! Now I have 3 kids and one is autistic so I know how kids are but so many lines I was kicked, pushed, stepped on all while mom and dad said NOTHING. For Thunder mountain the little boy behind me was stepping on the back of my shoe and giggling. Then he literally did a face plant into my rear and made a kissing noise. Mom laughed and said something to him in spanish but it didn't stop him. Anywhere where the lines became free for alls after the first few days we hung to the back because before that we were literally shoved and stepped on to get to the front. We talked to a few other families about it and they all experianced similar things. The parade took the cake though. I still can not believe that DH had a child thrown on him. It was totally insane.

 

[BDL]

We never encountered any rude CMS. Some that were just not knowlegeable. A few times my DH laughed that I knew more then people who worked there. We ran into some awesome people as well just the ones that were rude were RUDE!! Now I have 3 kids and one is autistic so I know how kids are but so many lines I was kicked, pushed, stepped on all while mom and dad said NOTHING. For Thunder mountain the little boy behind me was stepping on the back of my shoe and giggling. Then he literally did a face plant into my rear and made a kissing noise. Mom laughed and said something to him in spanish but it didn't stop him. Anywhere where the lines became free for alls after the first few days we hung to the back because before that we were literally shoved and stepped on to get to the front. We talked to a few other families about it and they all experianced similar things. The parade took the cake though. I still can not believe that DH had a child thrown on him. It was totally insane.

I know what you mean. Here is a post that I submitted during mid Dec.:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=39225937#post39225937

As for the incident with the child behind you, I come into contact with senarios such as that on occassion where the parent will feign ignorance or (pretend to) not understand me. But this is where I have the advantage over foreign tourists. I am as white as white can be, and am just a big blue collar type of guy. So the last thing that anyone suspects is that I speak conversational Spanish and passable Portuguese. That pretty much covers all of S. America and 15% of Europe.

I always like to let them talk for a bit after I say "Excuse me", but before I start responding in their language. It actually makes the wiating in line a little entertaining and I usually get a little more space to stand.

Now if I can only learn Chinese and Japanese, no one will talk about me behind my back at WDW any more.

 

[TruBlu]

I always like to let them talk for a bit after I say "Excuse me", but before I start responding in their language. It actually makes the wiating in line a little entertaining and I usually get a little more space to stand.

Now if I can only learn Chinese and Japanese, no one will talk about me behind my back at WDW any more.

Now THAT'S funny! I'd love to see their face once they can "understand" you!!!

 

[rebelbuddhist]

We had a great 10 days. SORRY to read all the posts about rude CMs. All of our plans worked well even those with tight timing. The parks were no where as crowded as we anticipated. We got great pictures with characters, drew lots of characters at Animation Academy, saw all the shows we wanted (many twice) and ate great food at Le Cellier, Yak and Yeti and Brown Derby. The only very disappointing thing was the food at Les Chefs de France. It was BAD-- had steak that was tasteless, beans with pieces of stems(big pieces) and potatoes that tasted as if they were right out of a box. When I shared this with the waiter, he offered me a soda to make things right! But one bad meal didn't ruin a great time. We tried lots of new restaurants including Coral Reef, 1900 Park Fare, Chef Mickey's, Hollywood & Vine, 50's Prime Time and loved them all. I am surprised Disney suggests an 18-20% tip for buffets the same as for full service? Anyway, no problem with getting around by bus or with noisy guests at ASMu. Sadly got no bounce back offer even though I asked several times at the front desk. Already am planning Dec 2011 trip!